To Save Two Kingdoms
by syc-amour
Summary: An alternative to how Wendy's stay at Ondarike went, including a different Oren from the one we know and loathe. Loki and Wendy have a lot resting on their shoulders, what with uniting two warring kingdoms and all, but during that process is it possible that they could begin to love one another? The Princess from two kingdoms, the unwanted Markis from one. Rated for now. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

I had been inside the Ondarike palace for three days. That was my first thought as my eyes fluttered open. Dim light shone from underneath the door to the bedroom, which was the only light in the room. I found myself missing the huge windows at the palace in Förening, as Ondarike's had no windows on the side where the living quarters were.

As I sat up in bed, there was a soft knock on the door. Before I could even invite the visitor inside of a bedroom that wasn't even mine, they pushed the heavy wooden door open. Loki Staad stood in the doorway, wearing his usual and very handsome smile. His dark hair was messy, unkempt on top of his head. I noticed that he seemed to have gotten a hair cut since the afternoon before, as the sides of his head were shaved much shorter than the tuft on top. The faded hairstyle looked great on him, with his chiseled jaw, dark emerald eyes, and sexy, easy smile. His eyes sparkled mischievously as he looked me over.

"Good morning, Princess." He stepped inside the bedroom and flicked on the light switch. I squinted against the sudden change in atmosphere and rubbed my fists against my eyes. Loki made his way to the foot of the king-sized bed. "Rise and shine, the King wants to see both of us as soon as possible."

I sighed heavily. Just two days before, I had found out even more about my strange heritage as half Trylle and half Vittra, all troll. Oren, the King of the Vittra that Loki mentioned, was also my father. My mother was the Queen of the Trylle and had told me when I was first returned from my changeling childhood that my father was dead. The truth, as I believe to be, is that Elora and Oren had married in an attempt for peace. When it became clear that Oren's cruelty was a danger to Elora and her unborn child, me, she ran away and hid me as quickly as possible. Oren had been searching for me for years, but because of the erratic family that Elora had placed me in, he was never able to find me until I was returned to my mother.

I had essentially been captured three days prior, as well as my mänkslig, Rhys, and my host brother, Matt. I still hadn't convinced Oren to let them go and that I would stay. He was keeping Rhys and Matt in a dingy dungeon in the basement of the palace. Though they were not being tortured, it hurt my heart to know that they were trapped downstairs and I was upstairs, presumably free to move about the palace but still a prisoner myself. I hoped that this early morning meeting was Oren's decision to release them, though I highly doubted he would give up any of his collateral against Elora.

Loki went toward the closet that had been stocked with gowns and a couple of more casual dresses, presumably given to me by Sara, the Queen of the Vittra and Oren's wife. He flipped through the hangers of dresses, studying each individually before shaking his head slightly and moving on to the next one. "Why does Oren always seem to choose you as my caretaker?" I questioned quietly, watching him.

Loki was the only Vittra Markis left, which was the equivalent of a Duke in troll hierarchy. Oren had Loki doing things that a mänks or tracker would do in Förening, and though I disagreed with the unfair treatment, I was curious if the hierarchy in Ondarike was different.

Loki selected a dark green gown, long and flowing with black diamonds sewn into the sweetheart neckline. It was strapless and would hug my waist, presumably a very flattering and maybe even sexy gown. It was stunning, far too much to wear on a daily basis unless you were a Princess. I had gotten used to wearing similar ridiculously glamorous garments in Förening, usually chosen by Willa, a Trylle Marskinna, which was the female version of a Markis, or Finn, the tracker who had taken me from my human life and brought me into this strange and confusing world. I felt a pang in my heart for Willa and Finn both, though I tried to ignore the depth of which my sadness at missing Finn went.

Loki laid the gown across the foot of the bed gingerly, as not to ruffle the fabric too much. "Everyone is Oren's servant," he stated simply, but the dark smile he gave me afterwards hinted to how unhappy he was here. He had shown me so much kindness since I had been captured, though he was the one who knocked me out by simply looking into my eyes. He was also the one who called for Sara when I had awoken in the dungeon of Ondarike, who had healed my broken rib and punctured lungs given to me by a particularly rough Vittra tracker. I felt sympathy for Loki; Oren seemed like he treated him pretty badly. Even though Loki was a person of power in technically what would be considered my rival's kingdom, I trusted him. I didn't understand why but he made me feel safe, and the way he looked at me and interacted with me alluded to the fact that he actually did care.

"Princess, please get dressed. As much as I like pissing him off, Oren will have my head if we're late to the meeting. He stressed its importance." Loki sighed and fell into a cushioned chair in the corner of the room, watching me for my reaction.

My face flushed. "I can't get out of bed with you in here." I had worn only a tank top and underwear to bed, so there was no way that I would be half naked in front of Loki. There was a good ten feet from the corner of the bed to the ornately decorated screen where I could change behind. He cocked his head to the side in confusion, though something sparkled in his green eyes.

"Do you sleep half naked?" His tone was teasing and his grin looked very sexy on his handsome face. He in general was very sexy, wearing black pants and a black button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. My deepening blush answered his question as he stood from the chair. He chuckled, "I'll give you three minutes to change before I come back in." He moved toward the door and stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him.

I threw the blankets off my legs and jumped out of bed as soon as it clicked shut. I tugged off the tank top and stepped into the gown, pulling it onto my body and using my forearm to hold the dress against my chest. I knew that Loki would come back into the room without knocking and I refused to let him see me mostly naked.

I heard the door open again as I was struggling to reach around my back to zip up the gown. I had gotten it to the middle of my back from where the zipper began, just below my backside, but I was having trouble pulling it higher. I sighed and looked over my shoulder at Loki's teasing smile. "A little help, please?" I muttered, my skin flushed across my face down to my neck.

"Of course. Anything for the beautiful and mighty Princess Wendy," he proclaimed, stepping up behind me to zip me up. He placed one hand on my waist to steady me and the fabric before he slowly pulled the zipper tab upward. When I felt the final tug of the zipper reaching the top, I stayed still. Loki didn't move his hand from my waist and I took a moment to focus on how his soft grip felt on me. His hands were large, taking up more surface area on my small torso than I thought they would. I felt the heat from his palm through the fabric of the gown.

He dipped his head down toward my neck, breathing through his nose. I closed my eyes and tried not to waver as his cool breath fanned across my neck and shoulders. Goosebumps rose on my arms and he lightly placed his other hand on my upper arm, very softly resting his lips against my skin. He tilted his head up slightly so that the tip of his nose brushed my ear lobe. "As much as I would love to continue this, I believe we're still needed before the King." I was breathless, so all I did was nod.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

We made our way down the hallway toward Oren's throne room. I had already tried to memorize the twists and turns of the palace, but I had given up just a few minutes in, so it was very hard to get my bearings. I envied the ease with which Loki moved throughout the palace, a calm but expressionless look on his face.

I gripped handfuls of my gown, pulling the long hem off of the ground so that I wouldn't trip on it as we walked. Loki's legs were much longer than mine, so I had to fast walk to keep up with his pace. We hadn't spoken since the very intimate moment we shared in the bedroom and I was still reeling from it. He had actually kissed my neck. At first, I thought he had simply pressed his face into my neck, but when he had pulled away, I felt the light breeze from the tiny bit of saliva he left behind. Even thinking about it as we walked made me shiver and goosebumps rose again.

We stopped in front of the ornately carved throne room door, depicting fantasy scenes of fairies and nymphs. It was almost funny that Oren seemed to be such a cruel and horrible man, but the decor on his throne room door depicted a happy little scene. He probably used that as part of his trick, trying to make his people believe that he wasn't a cruel person.

Loki pushed open the heavy door and held it open for me. I ducked under his arm and stepped inside, my eyes locked on the man in the throne in the center of the room as I heard Loki step inside and close the door behind him. Oren stood, a large grin on his face, but it didn't reach his black eyes.

"Welcome, daughter," he greeted me. I nodded politely, even though the look he wore as his eyes raked over Loki and I made my skin crawl. Dread began to creep into my mind, tightening the pit of my stomach with a nauseating twist. "Please, Markis Staad and Princess Wendy, come in and make yourselves at home. We three have much to discuss."

Loki held out a hand to me politely, which I took mostly to steady myself so that I wouldn't trip in front of my extremely intimidating father. He lead me over to the dark wooden chairs that sat in front of Oren's huge throne. I was seated first and then Loki, both of us looking up at Oren for the reason we were summoned. To my surprise, Oren stepped off the platform his throne was displayed atop and walked toward us. The silence in the room made me feel like he could hear my pounding heart beat as he circled mine and Loki's chairs.

"You two are such an adorable match," Oren complimented, chuckling. "Hopefully that will make this news a bit easier to swallow." He walked back around us to stand in front, looking down at us with his shoulders back and his chin held high. "The Queen of the Trylle and I have reached an agreement for the safe return of the Princess, as well as the mänkslig and the human boy."

My heart soared. Oren was going to let us go! I couldn't believe that Elora had convinced him, though I knew there was some repercussion. I tried not to focus too much on that and let the relief engulf me for just a moment. It was shattered with Oren's next statement. "Our agreement is that the Princess of Förening will wed the Markis and honorary Prince of Ondarike, in an effort to unite our kingdoms. This is a feat that was not achieved by Elora and myself, but our hope is that you two will be able to unite and bring peace."

My blood ran cold. They wanted me to marry Loki Staad, a man I barely knew and who kind of scared me sometimes. I took a moment to look over at Loki, who looked just as bewildered as I did. His neck was flushed pink and he turned to look at me, his eyes widened slightly. The first time I had come into contact with this man, he had invaded my human home with two Vittra trackers. The trackers were exceptionally rough with me, since we had all met before, but Loki had scorned the female tracker for hurting me. Loki had the power to put someone to sleep with a well placed look in his emerald eyes, and I hadn't forgotten that fact. He had used his gift to put me into a sleep so that I wouldn't feel the awful pain that the tracker had inflicted on me - but also to make me easier to transport to this palace. Now they wanted me to marry the man who had kidnapped me.

"I know this comes as quite a shock to the both of you, but I assure you that your compliance will be the smartest decision of your lives. Both of you must consent to this peace treaty of sorts now, and upon your agreement, Loki is immediately required to return you and your … friends to Förening until further notice." Oren crossed his arms behind his back. "Now that is not the ending of this treaty. Princess Wendy will need to agree to visit Ondarike regularly and work closely with the Queen of Vittra and myself as our peoples begin to accept this transition."

I hesitated. This was an amazing deal, one that I wasn't sure I completely believed. I replayed Oren's offer over and over in my mind, searching for any sort of loophole that could devastate Förening or any of my family and friends. I found none and realized I had been silent for several moments. Even though Loki had used his powers to knock me out in order to kidnap me, he had also gotten Sarah, Queen of the Vittra, to heal my broken ribs and punctured lung when I had woken up in Ondarike's dungeon. He had stayed by my side for most of the time since I had been taken upstairs to stay in the bedroom that Oren said belonged to me. Underneath the orders given by Oren, Loki seemed to be gentle and trustworthy.

"I agree," I spoke softly. Oren grinned broadly, turning his attention to Loki. Loki agreed as well, his voice steadier than mine was. Oren clapped his large hands together, shouting in congratulations. I flinched discreetly.

"Loki, you may retrieve the keys to one of the cars in the garage. Princess, help yourself to any of the gowns or items in your bedroom, as they belong to you officially now. I will leave you both now to discuss and ready yourselves for travel. Ludlow will be waiting for you to retrieve the mänkslig and human boy." And he just turned and left the room, exiting through a second door behind his throne that led into a drafty hallway. So nonchalant, like he hadn't practically sold his daughter that he had never seen before a few days ago to a man who was ruled by him.

Loki stood up, holding his hand out to me. He still looked a bit surprised by our exchange with Oren, but he wore a confident smile to hide most of it. "Shall we, Princess? I keep luggage in my usual vehicle for long term travel. Do you need anything from your bedroom?" I shook my head and took his hand, standing up beside him. "Let's go see Ludlow then." We were finally leaving.

—

Matt and Rhys tried to storm the door when Ludlow opened it. Loki and I quickly stepped out of their way as they stumbled into the hallway and held their fists up, prepared to fight for their freedom. When they saw that it was just Loki and I, Rhys paused, but Matt was instantly furious.

"You better not have hurt her, you bastard," Matt growled. He was dusty from the dirt floor of the dungeon and looked very tired with blood shot eyes. A pang of guilt twisted my stomach and I chewed my bottom lip. Loki held up his hands in surrender and I stepped forward to hug Matt. He hugged me back, but I could tell by his stiff demeanor that he still didn't trust Loki enough to let his guard down.

"Elora made a deal with Oren, we can leave now. Loki is coming with us." I didn't have time to explain the entire situation and I was a little embarrassed about it. I was standing beside my now fiancee, a man I barely knew but was insanely interested in. "We need to leave now before Oren changes his mind."

"Wait, Wendy, what did you agree to?" Rhys asked, his eyes narrowed at Loki in suspicion. I grabbed his hand and Matt's, pulling both of them toward the stairs that would lead to our freedom. I just needed to get them out of the palace and then I would explain, my face hot with embarrassment and adrenaline.

"I don't have time to explain right now but I promise to tell you both in the car. Let's go." They followed me then, Loki pulling up the rear to make sure that no one followed us. We all quickly went through the palace's front door, Loki hissing directions to me from a few feet back. We turned toward Oren's gardens and travelled through a maze-like area of dying shrubs before stumbling upon the huge garage a few hundred yards from the palace.

Loki unlocked the garage's side door and we all filed inside the building, then loaded up into the large blacked out SUV that Loki unlocked with the key fob. I climbed into the passenger seat, Loki in the driver's seat, and Rhys and Matt in the back. I waited until Loki had opened the garage door with a remote and sped out onto the cobblestone driveway before I took a deep breath.

"Wendy, what did you promise Oren?" Rhys asked again after a few moments. We were safely inside of the vehicle, speeding away from the palace. I knew I had to tell them the truth. I turned around in my seat and looked at both of them.

"I don't want either of you to freak out. Elora and Oren must have communicated quietly over the last couple of days and came to an agreement. Loki and I will get married to unite the kingdoms, like Oren and Elora attempted before I was born." I watched their bewildered faces closely. I saw Loki shift in the driver's seat uncomfortably, both of his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white.

"Wendy, how could you agree to marry someone you don't even know? Someone who kidnapped you?" Matt was pissed, sneering at Loki in the rearview mirror. "And how do they think that's going to work? Their marriage didn't last, what's to say yours will? You're only eighteen years old, Wendy, that is way too young to get married."

"I know how upset you are, Matt, but I think this is the best course of action. It set us free, right? I'm sure that Elora poured over their agreement for hours before accepting. When we get back to the palace, I'm going to go over any written agreement between them with Elora to look for loopholes, just in case. As for me being too young," I sighed, realizing that my childhood had ended as soon as I met Finn Holmes what felt like a lifetime ago, "I'm a Princess now. I don't have much time to grow up."

Rhys spoke up then, his eyes wide, "Are you two happy to be getting married?" It was a good question, one I hadn't even considered asking Loki myself. I looked over at him then and when his eyes met mine, I felt something spark. There was no denying that I was attracted to him, as I had been attracted to Finn when I was around him often at the palace, but there was a different connection between Loki and I. There was a fire that burned wild and hot between us, that much was undeniable. It was stronger than the fire I had felt with Finn.

"Who wouldn't be happy to marry a gorgeous princess?" Loki said, smiling softly at me. I flushed and looked away, catching Matt's disproving glare and Rhys' frown. "Wendy is beautiful with a big heart and an attitude. I'm extremely lucky to have the chance to marry her."

I smiled at him, embarrassed that he was saying such nice and intimate things in front of my brother and the boy that my mother stole away to put me in his place. I turned around to sit properly in my seat and sighed through my nose, watching the scenery fly by the SUV as we approached eighty miles per hour on the highway. I knew it would be a few hours until we reached Förening and I was still exhausted, so I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. When we reentered Förening, I would be an engaged woman.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

As you can probably assume, there were no warm hugs and celebrations when we returned to Förening. Elora and Finn seemed to be waiting on us, both of them standing in the huge foyer when we all dragged through the front doors. Elora instructed Matt and Rhys to retire to their respective bedrooms, myself to shower because, quote, I was "absolutely disgusting", and she simply waved her hand toward Loki, indicating that she didn't necessarily care what he would do. I saw a smile twitch of his mouth and knew he was happy with her dismissal of him. Having come from such an oppressive leader such as Oren, I imagined that it would be a blessing to be waved off by the Queen of ice.

Elora announced that she was going to retire to her quarters then and made her way up the stairs toward her wing of the palace. Finn Holmes stood like a statue, hands clasped behind his back, feet at a shoulder's width apart. He regarded me cooly after Matt and Rhys trudged up the stairs and went to shower and rest. Staring at him across the foyer suddenly felt awkward, considering that his stiff demeanor was an indicator that he had probably heard about the upcoming nuptials.

"Princess, the Queen realizes that you and the Markis Loki Staad are engaged now, but she does not wish for you to share a bedroom yet." He cleared his throat, his discomfort almost showing through his facade. "Excuse me." His dark eyes landed on Loki and his expression changed very slightly: his jaw tightened a bit and his eyes became darker. "The Markis Loki Staad's quarters have been set across the hall from Rhys', next door to the Princess'. I'll leave you both to rest." He marched out of the foyer, heading toward the direction that Elora went in.

"Well, isn't he a charmer?" Loki joked, chuckling softly. I looked at him, standing there uncomfortably in this amazingly bright and grand foyer, hands stuffed into the pockets of his dark, neat jeans. His eyes met mine and he grinned, that mischievous glint forever in his eye. He was so quick to cover any emotion that wasn't sarcastic or funny. "How about you show me around a bit, Princess?"

"Can we take a shower first?" I almost begged, the thought of walking around the palace at that moment making me almost want to tear up. I was so exhausted and I felt gritty and dusty after being inside of Ondarike for the last few days. "And not together," I added quickly when I saw his grin turn wicked. He almost pouted, but followed me up the stairs and toward my wing of the palace.

"Nice digs," Loki complimented quietly as we walked side by side down the hallway. I felt like I was dragging myself through a very strong tidal wave. "Wendy, are you okay? You look a little pale, maybe even a little green." He smirked a little at his joke, knowing that very powerful Trylle have a green tint to their skin tone. Loki stopped walking and touched my shoulder softly. I turned toward him and he looked me over with concern. I rubbed my eyes with my fists and sighed heavily, miserable that I was even standing. He set his mouth into a determined line and then bent down, scooping me up into his arms.

I squeaked in shock, my senses waking back up. I felt like I was going to fall, so I wrapped my arms around Loki's neck and tensed my entire body. Loki was smiling happily and continued walking, seemingly so content with carrying me. I stopped squirming and protesting after a moment, realizing that I was very tired and that it felt nice to have someone touch me who wasn't afraid of wrecking my destiny. It felt nice to be wrapped up in Loki's strong, ropy arms. He was lean but hard and I could feel through his shirt the years of physical work he must have done that hardened his chest.

"My room is the last one at the very end of the hallway," I managed to mumble before I slipped into a half-sleep, lulled into euphoria by the soft movement of being carried. I heard Loki whisper something back, but I was deaf to the world as I slid deeper toward unconsciousness. I hoped that I remembered to ask him what he said later.

—

I woke up in my bedroom at the Förening palace, satin sheets slipping against my bare skin as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I could tell that it was sometime in the middle of the night, but the moon was shining so brightly that it still shone from around the edges of my curtains. I slid out of bed, then realized that I was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top and didn't remember when I had changed myself. I remembered Loki carrying me to my room and my face blazed, wondering if he had actually changed me. Surely he wouldn't have, he probably woke me up enough to change and I just didn't remember it. I was going to keep telling myself that either way.

I went into the adjoining bathroom, flipping on the light and squinting at the mirror against the brightness. I looked like hell — wild curls, dark circles under my eyes, pale, and maybe even a little skinnier than before I had gone to Ondarike. I had refused to eat any of their food while inside, anxiety having been my fuel despite the lack of nourishment.

I took a shower fairly quickly, scrubbing the remnants of Ondarike from my skin and hair before wrapping myself in a fluffy towel. Everything about Ondarike and Förening was different: Ondarike was the dark and dreadful evil king's palace, while Förening was so covered in light and soft natural colors that it exuded elegance and safety. I definitely had started to feel safe at this palace, grateful that I wasn't a physical prisoner anymore. Duty still imprisoned me, but my father wasn't the warden here.

I pulled on a clean pair of pajama shorts and a big tee shirt, tossing the towel and my dirty clothing into a heap on the bathroom floor. I would get those later, but first I wanted to check on Loki. I remembered Finn's stiff exchange and mini speech about Loki and I not sharing a bedroom and that his room was next door to mine. My face burned again: I was going to have to share a bedroom with Loki soon — a _bed_ with him. I wiped that from my mind and crept out into the hallway, turning the door knob to Loki's assigned bedroom quietly.

He was awake already. He turned toward the door immediately, his eyes fuzzy, dark hair standing up all around his head, and sitting on the edge of his bed, half naked. He only wore a pair of black boxers — everything this man owned must have been black — and that definitely did not help my fading blush. It came back with vengeance when Loki smiled sleepily at me.

"Come to check on me, Princess?" he asked as he stood, stretching his arms above his head. "I couldn't sleep very well either, you know. Too many weird dreams and too much going on in here." He tapped the side of his head with two fingers, moving toward me. His voice was thick with exhaustion but he tried to keep a light hearted tone, though his eyes were troubled. "You took a shower, I see."

I nodded. "I felt disgusting." I sighed through my nose, and even though my face burned hotly, I knew I had to ask before I lost my courage. "Did you change me before I went to bed?"

Loki tilted his head, genuine confusion in his eyes. "I know that Marksinna girl — Willow, Willa, something like that — was here when I carried you into your room. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head and she scared the hell out of me, but she didn't question anything. She probably changed you." Relief flooded through me, though I was still a bit embarrassed that Willa had seen me unclothed. I still greatly appreciated her thoughtfulness, and was definitely thankful that Loki hadn't been the one to see me in such a vulnerable state.

"Though, if you wanted to get _un_ dressed while I'm here, I wouldn't be opposed." He grinned wickedly and I managed a smile. I was still a bit nervous around him, but I wouldn't say that I was uncomfortable. There was so obviously an attraction between us that it kept me from feeling like sold cattle. I actually liked Loki, maybe I could figure out how to love him.

"Keep holding your breath," I countered, stepping further into his bedroom and shutting the door quietly. I didn't want to risk the off chance that Rhys or Matt were awake as well, eavesdropping on our conversation. The last thing I needed was Matt punching Loki for making suggestive comments.

"So what brings the Princess into my quarters this lovely night?" Loki's tone was teasing as he walked over, stopping right in front of me. We were so close that I had to look up to see his eyes. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Something like that," I agreed softly. His teasing smile faltered, showing some of his nerves, before he slid his fingers over mine. The unspoken request for me to come with him was received as he pulled me toward the bed and I followed.

We stood beside the bed, all tousled satin sheets and fluffy feather pillows. It was there, the moonlight the only light in the room, that Loki carefully slid his hands on either side of my neck, right under my ears. I shivered, mostly in delight but also in nervousness. I had only ever kissed Finn, and that was the road Loki and I were barreling down as fast as (non) humanly possible.

Loki's eyes asked a silent question and his eyebrow arching up very slightly, _May I?_ I answered him by leaning up on my toes and softly pressing my lips against his. He got the message, moving his hands from the sides of my neck to my waist. He didn't hold me too tightly against him, still giving me the option to pull away if I wanted to. I didn't.

Our kissing lasted mere moments, but it felt like years. It was nothing like kissing Finn had been. Finn had always been frenzied, so caught up his own emotions that he had enough breach in judgement to grab me and kiss me desperately. Loki's kisses were patient and slow, surprisingly gentle and intimate. I felt how much he cared for me when he kissed me and I felt warm all over, my stomach fluttering.

The click of the door opening went unheard until someone angrily snarled, "What the hell are you two doing?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A bed-tussled and very irritated Finn crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at both of us. I opened my mouth to explain, but a wave of anger crashed into me. I glared right back at him, hands going to rest on my hips in defiance. Finn raised an eyebrow, realizing I was going to be a challenge to deal with.

"I am checking on my _fiancee_ to see if he's comfortable in my palace," I growled at him. His angry expression faltered for a moment and I knew I was conquering him already. "What exactly would you be doing, waltzing into his bedroom?"

Finn paused, a hint of surprise in his voice when he said, "I was doing a late night round and saw that your bedroom door was open and you were not inside. My first instinct was to check here for your safety … Princess." He was squirming the tiniest bit under my glare and I loved it. Finally, I had shown that I could stand up for myself against him. I didn't enjoy the hierarchy in troll society that put him at the very bottom of the ladder, but Finn was being a jerk and needed to be set back into place for a moment.

"Well, before you consider barging into someone's private quarters, you should knock first. Obviously we are both fine, so you may go back to bed, Finn." I turned my back on him and slammed the door on the conversation. I almost wished I had been able to see his face before the door softly clicked shut.

Loki chuckled, brushing a strand of curly hair behind my ear. "That, Princess, was incredible. I haven't seen you stand up to anyone before." He smiled down at me approvingly and my face flushed, some of my sudden confidence slipping away.

"I'm so tired of him walking around like he can control me. I _am_ the Princess and you are my fiancee now, he shouldn't be questioning why I'm in here so late at night. It's not his business." I shrugged my shoulders, but felt a thrill of excitement. I had finally stood up to Finn, even though I felt like I had shown my ass a little bit. I did feel bad for pulling rank on him, but the truth was that Finn had been controlling since we had first met.

"Well, it was very impressive." Loki grinned at me, but it was broken by a yawn. He looked so tired and a little haggard and I was struck again by how handsome he looked in the dim moonlit room. "Will you be joining me for the night, my Princess?"

I shivered a little at the possessiveness in this new nickname and my stomach ached with desire. I knew that if I spent the night with Loki, things I wouldn't be able to take back would happen and I wasn't sure that I was ready for that yet. "Unfortunately, Elora does still have control over me. I don't want to get either of us in trouble with her, so I think I should go back to my room." I didn't want to, but I didn't want to insight Elora's rage so soon after coming back home, especially if she might want to take it out on Loki.

"As you wish," Loki amended, dipping his head to leave a soft kiss on my mouth. A girl could get used to this. "Goodnight, my Princess, and sweet dreams." I left his room with a smile on my face and my heart racing.

—

When daylight finally came, I was even more tired and a little bit cranky. Rhys and Matt had both checked on me already and though I appreciated their concern, I wanted to be left alone for a little while. I needed a quiet place to think about everything that had transpired over the last four days.

I decided to give myself a little TLC for once. In the cabinet in my bathroom, there were quite a few beauty products that had gone unused. Willa had picked out some of her favorites before I had been brought to the palace, having helped Rhys stock up my room and bathroom before my arrival. I opened up the cabinet and grinned at the products: a couple of bath bombs, bubble baths, lotions, scented soaps, and a host of other things that I didn't even know what to call. The labels were brightly colored and the smell wafting from the cabinet was a mix of many different floral and fruit scents.

I took a bottle of bubble bath first, running scalding hot water into the giant jacuzzi-like bathtub and squirting a heap of the soapy liquid into the water, swirling it around with my hand to create the bubbles. Once I was satisfied with the amount of bubbles and the height of the water, I stripped down and stepped in. It was so warm and as I settled down, my muscles finally began to loosen. I needed to lose some of this tension so that I could think clearly.

I went over Oren's verbal deal again and again, still searching for loopholes. Still, I couldn't figure out if there were any — it seemed pretty air-tight to me. There had only been the condition that I worked with him and Sarah, which held so much uncertainty that I didn't want to think about it at that moment. I would have to get more information on my father from Elora, considering I had barely been in the man's presence. Next, I thought about what marrying Loki might mean for the kingdom, for both kingdoms. _Peace_. It was such a simple word, but it held so much weight behind it. Peace between the Vittra and the Trylle would mean that literally hundreds of years of fighting would end. I felt like an anvil had been dropped on my chest — we both had a lot riding on this marriage. We were going to be responsible for the lives of hundreds of thousands of people soon, whether we were ready for it or not, and we would also be under the eye of every kingdom official who would think we were too young and inexperienced to achieve this dream.

Thoughts of the marriage brought my attention back to Loki Staad, the mysteriously gentle Vittra Markis. He had shown me so much kindness in the short time I had known him, but part of me worried if it was all a facade. After all, Elora had trusted Oren with her hand in marriage and their divorce had resulted in more war and malice. What if Loki was pretending to be kind and sweet, just to gain power over both kingdoms and take complete control over everything?

I shivered, despite the warmth of the water. I dismissed my thoughts, though I was careful with which ones I dismissed. Loki seemed genuine enough, even though he shrouded his sincerity in jokes and sarcasm. His eyes and face were usually an open book for me to read into his meaning, I just had to hope that I was right in my assumptions. I hadn't seen a single trace of malice whenever he looked at me. I closed my eyes and remembered our kiss from the night before.

I could really start to fall for him, I realized. He seemed to genuinely care about me, and he had agreed to marry me after all. Even though he knew me as well as I knew him — barely at all - I could definitely be happy being married to Loki Staad.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft tapping on the bathroom door. I slid down into the water a bit further, my nudity covered up by the ridiculous amount of bubbles in the bath water. I should have really gone easy on that bubble bath.

Loki peaked his head inside, scanning the bathroom quickly before his eyes landed on me. Something sparked in them, something almost animalistic and very intense — it looked like lust. My entire face and neck were red when he pushed the door open more and leaned against the door frame, watching me.

"Good morning, Princess," he said politely, "Are you enjoying your bath?" I nodded feebly, very aware that I was technically completely naked in front of him.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubbles," he almost giggled, "But that Finn character has requested our presence." I rolled my eyes and sighed in annoyance, to which Loki grinned. "I know he irritates you, love, but we should see what he needs to tell us. It could be more details on our marriage. Maybe even some wedding planning."

I shivered at his new nickname and the idea of talking about our wedding, both for entirely different reasons, then nodded and started to reach for the towel folded on the edge of the bathtub. "I'll be out in just a minute." Loki nodded and left, shutting the bathroom door tightly behind him. I dried off and wrapped the towel around my body, stepping back into my bedroom to change.

Loki was sprawled out on the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. He looked up when I opened the door, his eyes quickly scanning my entire body. I blushed under his scrutiny and stood awkwardly, having not realized that he would still be in my room. It seemed that being almost naked around Loki was becoming a trend. He sat up on the bed and put his elbows on his knees, watching me.

"I thought you weren't supposed to see me naked until our wedding night." I tried to tease him but my voice wavered and clearly showed my nerves. My blush darkened, if possible. Loki stood up and walked toward me until we were standing as close as we had the night before: me looking up into his dark emerald eyes and him looking down at me with a playful smile.

"I have a habit of not playing by the rules." He reached up to brush his finger tips softly against my shoulder. Goosebumps rose immediately, a reaction that must have pleased him because he smiled. "You really are beautiful, I want you to know that." He leaned down to kiss me then.

I forgot to hold my towel up and instead wrapped my arms around his neck, standing on my tip toes to press myself against his body. He was so warm and inviting, his mouth moving against mine softly but holding so much passion and intimacy that I felt it through my whole body. When we pulled apart for a moment to breathe, our noses still touching, I reached down to readjust the towel and secure it more. It had been held up because my chest was pressed against Loki, but if I moved away, it would fall to the floor and create a whole new kind of situation.

"I don't see how this is very fair," Loki breathed, his cool breath fanning across my face. He smelled like spearmint, sweet and minty. "You're practically naked before me and I'm not allowed to do anything about it." A thrill went up my spine at his suggestion.

"Didn't Finn want to see us?" My voice was small and it was fairly obvious by the way that I sounded that I didn't care about any other obligation.

Loki smirked and brushed a stray hair behind my ear. "Do you really care about that right now?" I shook my head and leaned up into him again, pressing my lips against his. "I didn't think so," he murmured against my mouth, wrapping his strong arms tight around me. Again, I thought about how I could get used to this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Finn was none too happy about us being late to our meeting, especially when Loki and I were both flushed and maybe even glowing a bit. He rolled his eyes at my bright smile and led us toward one of the War Rooms, where important meetings were usually held. I thought about what happened in my bedroom as we walked: Loki and I had been so close to stepping over a line that I wasn't completely sure I was ready to cross. We had collapsed onto my bed, kissing and entangled in one another, my bath towel coming loose and only being held onto my body by luck and gravity. I wondered if Finn was able to tell all of that just from looking at my face, and I blushed darkly.

I had allowed Loki to go as far as kissing down my neck and collar bones before I stopped him, breathless and surprised at how far we had already gotten. He stopped immediately at my request, though a hunger burned dark in his emerald eyes. I had been trembling and knew that I definitely wanted to continue, as he obviously did, but something was holding me back.

My host family had never been very strictly Christian, but I had always thought that being married before having sex was the ideal thing. Virginity wasn't necessarily sacred in my eyes, but it was important to me and I wanted to have time to think on my decision before it was taken away. Loki respected my halt of our activities and hadn't shown any displeasure in doing so, though he did keep his hands in his jean pockets for most of our walk across the palace. I wondered if Finn noticed that also.

Finn pushed open the War Room door and allowed me to step inside first. Inside, Willa was waiting with papers strewn all across the huge wooden table in the center of the room. At least twenty matching, darkly stained wooden chairs stood around the table, Willa sitting at the head and looking up when we entered. She grinned brightly and stood up, her teal cocktail-style dress so short that the majority of her smooth, tanned thighs were exposed.

She walked around the edge of the table and just about ran to me, hugging me tightly in a rare moment of affection. "Wendy, I was so worried about you when I heard you were gone, but then murmurings of the new treaty started to spread. I'm so glad I can help you plan your _wedding_!" Willa's excitement was starting to rub off on me because I grinned at her.

"I was just starting on the guest list. Wendy, I need you to finalize some of these decoration decisions. I know that you just got back, but there's so little time to plan everything," Willa said, immediately getting to work. I realized with an internal groan that we were going to be wedding planning all day, more than likely. Willa turned to Loki with an almost nervous smile. "Markis Staad, I don't know who you want to invite to your wedding so you just make a list and we will all go over that later."

Loki grinned, obviously enjoying her bright energy. "You can call me Loki. I hear that you're a good friend of Wendy's, so we should be friends ourselves." I glanced over at him, something like jealousy squeezing my heart. I could tell by the look on Loki's face that he was amused, though he didn't look at Willa with the lust I was worried I would find on his face. He looked down at me and took my hand, leading me closer to the table.

"It is pretty exciting that we're getting married, huh?" I looked at Loki again to see his cheeks flush very lightly, but he smiled. "So what sort of theme have you picked out so far, Willa?"

"Oh! I'm so glad you asked. I was thinking big, beautiful peonies, hydrangeas, roses, all kinds of flowers in pinks, whites, and golds all around the altar. I hope you're okay with the pastel color scheme — I think it will go beautifully if you're okay with wearing a pink sash around your waist on your wedding dress." I shrugged and smiled my agreement and leaned over the table to look at her plans, listening to her babble on about the flowers, saying that we would get the best florist in town to use her magic to turn some of them gold. She had sketched out basic decorations on several sheets of paper and we poured over them for the next three hours.

When we finally — _finally_ — finished most of the planning with Willa, though she insisted there was much more to do, Loki cited lunch as a need to wrap up for the morning. My brain was fried and I had a dark smudge on the side of my hand from writing so much — signing pieces of paper so that Willa could have my signture copied to each invitation, writing out the guest list that I was requesting, and sketching designs of where I would like our flowers arranged around the altar. Loki had been extremely helpful all morning, giving his input freely to help me make decisions. I smiled kindly at him often, grateful that he seemed to know that I would need his help extensively. He always returned my smiles, though something burned in his green eyes that I couldn't quite pinpoint.

Then we were walking down the hallway and downstairs toward the kitchen. We walked in comfortable silence most of the way there, though when we stepped off the last landing on the staircase, Loki reached out and wrapped his fingers in mine. It felt good to hold his hand and I'd given him a bright smile, which he returned with an affectionate grin. We rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, three heads swiveling to look at us.

Rhys grinned happily at our entrance, though his expression faltered a bit when his eyes swept over our intertwined fingers. Finn shot us a quick glance and then turned his back, sipping at a bottle of water. Matt smiled at me with worried eyes. "Hey, guys," I greeted happily, releasing Loki's hand to walk over to the kitchen island where Rhys and Finn sat. Matt was manning the stove, in the middle of cooking something that smelled wonderful and familiar.

"What are you cooking?" Loki asked curiously, politely, and went over the stove to peak at what Matt was cooking. "Looks like wilted spinach, garlic, onions, potatoes, and…" Loki sniffed the air quietly, a look of concentration on his face, "Oregano."

"Exactly right," Matt said with a surprised inflection to his voice, already becoming a tiny bit more comfortable around Loki. He loved to cook and if Loki did too, they would be fast friends, I just hoped that they whole marrying his sister thing wouldn't put a wedge between them. "This was Wendy's favorite side dish back home." He shot a smile at me, though it was a little sad. I knew I had remembered that smell.

I frowned back at him. "Have you talked to Aunt Maggie?" I slid onto a stool beside Rhys and on the opposite side of Finn. He had yet to speak. "Is she still in Oregon?"

Matt nodded, stirring the concoction of vegetables and spices with a wooden spoon. "Yeah, I talked to her yesterday. She misses you, you should call her."

Finn chose then to speak out, scoffing meanly. We all looked at him, varying levels of surprise on each of our faces. "As if Wendy needs to get herself into more trouble." He looked at me then, almost glaring. "I would recommend the Princess not have any more contact with those from her changeling childhood." He swung his hard gaze to Matt. "Your place here is by sheer accident and I'm shocked that Elora hasn't sent you packing yet." He stood and tossed his empty water bottle in the trash, walking toward the door with his hands in his jeans. We all sat in stunned silence for a moment.

"Excuse me?" My eyes swung back to Loki, who looked pretty irritated at Finn's outburst. "What gives you the right to speak to her in that manner?" Loki looked very powerful then, his t-shirt stretching taunt over his muscled chest and ropy arms. His held his chin high and glared at Finn, a sneer lifting the corner of his upper lip. I could definitely see the Ondarike hardness in that glare and it almost made me shiver. There was still so much I didn't know about my fiancee.

Finn turned and glared back at him. "I was the one who brought the Princess back to Förening, I was the tracker that Elora put in charge of her. It is my duty to give her the best advice so that she can make the right decision. The right decision is to leave behind her human life and focus on her duties as a Princess."

I slid off my stool and stood beside Loki, my arms crossed against my chest. "Well, Finn, I believe that between my fiancee, my brother, and Rhys that I will be just fine. I'd like to release you of your duties as my tracker, and if Elora has any discrepancy then she can speak with me." My smile was tight as I watched his expression for any emotion. "You can go now."

He turned on his heel and walked out the room, his expression not even changing. Loki looked down at me and frowned, but I smiled at him to show him that I was okay. I had stood up to Finn twice now and I felt very powerful and proud of myself. Finally, I was exercising my right as a Princess and pushing away his weird control over me.

Lunch was mostly quiet after that, none of us really saying much as Matt finished up the food and began to load up four plates. When we were all seated at the island, digging into the extremely aromatic spinach mixture, Rhys finally broke the silence.

"Finn really does want the best for you." We all looked over at him. "He just doesn't know how to express it without sounding like … well, a jerk." Rhys laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck, his face flushing as we watched him. "I just, wanted you to know that he does care."

I nodded, stabbing a piece of potato with my fork. "I appreciate that, Rhys. I don't think I'll agree for him to be my tracker again though." I chewed the potato slowly and we all slipped into an uncomfortable silence after a slightly defeated nod from Rhys.

When we finished our meals, I gathered everyone's plates and took them to the sink. Rhys and Matt both wandered away, Rhys citing homework and Matt saying that he needed to talk to Willa. I started to rinse all of our plates off one by one, scraping any food left behind into the garbage disposal in the sink. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I turned to see Loki coming up beside me. He took the now clean dish out of my hand and grabbed a dish towel, wiping off the excess water.

"Thanks," I said, smiling at him and continuing to the next plate. I started to think about what else we could do for the day, since it was just past lunch time. "How about I give you that tour of the palace today?"

"I'm up for anything with you," Loki said, his voice soft and intent. He had a new smile on his face, one that was soft and affectionate. I decided at that moment that it was my favorite expression of his. The way his eyes softened and became so open, they really were the windows to his soul; the way his mouth quirked up at one corner to show that he was still amused by me.

I abandoned the plate I was cleaning the sink, left the water running, and wrapped my arms around Loki's neck. I had to stand on the balls of my feet on the cold floor to reach him, but I didn't mind. I pressed my lips against his softly, a thrill running down my spine when his hands rested on my lower back and pressed me against him more firmly. He was so much stronger than me and I felt safe in his grasp, knowing that he and I were the key to neither of us being in danger from Oren or the Vittra again. Standing in this kitchen, kissing me so softly but so passionately, was my soon-to-be husband and my partner in peace. The future held so many bright possibilities if we played our cards right, and I was suddenly so grateful that I would have Loki by my side through it all. There was no way I could do this alone.


End file.
